Portable therapeutic sling



Aprll 9, 1957 c. BRYANT PORTABLE THERAPEUTIC sLING Filed NOV. 9. 1953 IN VEN TOR. A 0n/e// 6.677@ 5yd/2f l!! g lf /2 TOR/YEK United States Patent PRTABLE THERAPEUTIC SLING Lowell Castle Bryant, Topeka, Kans.

Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,870

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-198) This invention relates to an improved therapeutic appliance designed specifically to aid in the support of disabled arms, particularly when the condition thereof is such as to require holding the arm in a desired position, the primary object being to provide apparatus that is additionally advantageous because of its permitting the user to employ the arm and where necessary, to exercise the same in order to aid in healing and recovery.

It has become apparent in recent years that there is a dire need for simple, inexpensive and lightweight apparatus which may be used particularly to assist patients recovering from poliomyelitis or any other type of paralysis or other affliction. While the apparatus forming the subject matter of this invention is not necessarily limited in its use to such diseases since it may also be employed for 'aiding those having broken arms and the like, its design is such as to be especially adapted for use whenever suggested therapy requires considerable exercise and continued, but limited, use of the disabled joints and muscles of the patient.

lt is the most important object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an appliance that is universally adapted for use in the home and in the hospital and which is fully portable in that it may be moved from place to place and supported on any type of seat, all to the end that the user may extend his activities to riding'in automobiles, eating his meals at a table, reading a newspaper or book and even playing the piano or operating a typewriter.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a therapeutic appliance that includes a cushion upon which the patient sits when the apparatus is placed on a seat such as a chair, all to the end that the weight of the patient serves as the means of supporting a standard upon which is suspended one or more slings for receiving the disabled arm.

Other objects relate to important details of construction including adjustable features for rendering the device usable by any patient and permitting carrying out of various and sundry exercises that may be prescribed to aid in re-developing the disabled arm or arms as will hereinafter be made clear.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a top plan View of a portable therapeutic sling made pursuant to my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view taken on line lI-I of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, transverse, vertical, crosssectional view taken on line III--III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed, cross-sec tional view taken on line lV-lV of Fig. 2.

lt is to be noted at the outset, from viewing the drawing, that the therapeutic apparatus of the present invention and about to be described, is fully portable in that it is not attached in any way to a chair, bench, bed or the like. Instead, it is contemplated that there be provided a cushion broadly designated by the numeral and which includes a polygonal, relatively thin, but rigid panel ice 20 that is secured to the panel 12 by fasteners 22 andA which has an elongated bore or channel 24 therethrough.

The channel 24 is adapted to receive an elongated, flat bar 26 for sliding movement therein and which is held in adjusted positions extending beyond the cushion 10 by fastening means which may include a screw 28 extending into any one of a number of tapped openings 30 in the bar 26 to releasably join the latter to an extension 32 on the channel member 20.

An elongated standard 34 has a lowermost, tubular;

section 36 and an uppermost, tubular section 38. :The section 36 of the standard 34 is joined rigidly to the 'bar 26 at its outermost end and the section 3S is ytelescoped within the section 36 as is best seen in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

A lateral, horizontal extension 40 is provided on the uppermost end of the section 3S vand means is provided to hold the extension 40 at selected heights, as Well as to prevent relative rotation between the sections 36 and 3S. it includes, as shown in Fig'. 4, a ring 42 on the uppermost end of the tube 36 in surrounding relationship to the tube 33, having a frusto-conical, upwardly and inwardly facing, annular edge 44. Ring 42 is enclosed within a collar 46 that is threaded to the tube 36 and a split ring 48 preferably of resilient' material within the collar 46 and resting at its lower extremity on the edge i4 of ring 42 closes upon and grips the tube 38 when forced downwardly against the sloped edge 44 of ring 42 by the turning of collar 46 upon the threaded tube 36.

A pair of identical slings 50 and 52 provided with arcuate pads 511i and 56 respectively, and flexible bails 58 and 60 respectively, are suspended from the extension 40 by coil springs 62 and 64 for free swinging movement of the springs 62 and 64 relative to the extension 40 and for freedom of swinging of the slings 50 and S2 relative to their springs 62 and 64 respectively.

l'n use, the cushionil() is placed on any seat such as that of a chair, davenport or even the seat of an autorno' bile. When the user sits upon the cushion 10 he may place his arm through the slings 50 and 52 so that one of the slings supports the forearm `adjacent the elbow and the other slings support the forearm adjacent the wrist. The height at which the arm is carried or supported may be determined by raising and lowering of the extension 40 through manipulation of collar 46. Likewise, the angularity of the extension S0 may be predetermined prior to tightening of the collar 46 to rigidly interconnect the tubes 36 and 38 and prev-ent rotation of the tube 3S relative to tube 36. Further adjustment may be made by removing the setscrew Z8 and shifting the bar 26 relative to the channel member 2%. if desired, the standard 34 may be connected directly to the cushion 10, eliminating the horizontal adjustment made possible through use of the channel member 20 and the bar 26.

Still further, in some instances it may be desirable -to provide apparatus that is capable of supporting both arms of a patient, in which event a second bar 26 (not shown) may be extended into the opposite end of the channel member 20 and adjustably secured thereto through use of a setscrew as at 28 and opposed perforated extension 32a. ln such double arrangement there would manifestly be provided another standard 34 and one or more slings operably connected thereto through use of coil springs as above-described.

The utilization of springs 62 and 64 is highly important not only because it provides a cushioned or resilient support for the 4arm and thereby aids in the comfort of thepatient, but because it permits of free manipulation of the arm so that vit may be exercised or used when desired. If the hand is capable of gripping obiects, the user may, as initially mentioned, perform such tasks as eating, reading, sewing, writing and the like.

In recovery from poliomyelitis 'and other diseases of such nature, therapists recommend many varied exercises. lt is now seen that because of the present swingability of the slings S and 52, as well as by virtue of the versatile movement permitted by the spring 62 and 64, there is virtually no limit to the number of exercises that `may be carried out by the patient in accordance with the suggestions of his doctor.

'It is now clear that all of the aims and objects of this invention are met through construction of therapeutic apparatus of the nature herein disclosed and, therefore, it is desired to be limited only by the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l, Therapeutic apparatus for supporting a disabled arm comprising a cushion adapted to be placed upon a seat; air-extensible standard having relatively rotatable and relatively reciprocable upper and lower sections and means for releasably interconnecting the sections in various positions of relative rotation and reciprocation; an armreceiving sling; structure mounting the sling on the standard including a lateral extension on the upper section of the standard and a coil spring having means swingably securing the same to the extension in depending relationship thereto, permitting swinging of the arm for use and exercise while supported by the sling, said sling being attached to the lowermost end of the spring; a member embedded within the cushion and having an elongated channel; a standard-supporting bar slidable in said channel; and means releasably interconnecting the bar and the member in any one of a number or" adjusted positions, said cushion being separate from the seat for rendering the apparatus portable and thereby universally usable with many devices made to sit in or on, as a chair.

2. Therapeutic apparatus for supporting a disabled arm comprising a cushion adapted to be placed on a seat and including a panel having a pad thereon; a member secured to the panel between the latter and the pad and having an elongated, horizontal channel; an elongated bar slidable in the channel and extending outwardly therebeyond; releasable means interconnecting the bar and the member for holding the bar extended at selected positions relative to the member; a standard including an upright, lower tube rigid to the bar and an upper tube telescoped within the lower tube; a horizontal extension on the uppermost end of the upper tube; releasable means interconnecting the tubes for holding the extension at preselected heights relative to the cushion and for holding the tubes against relative rotation; a sling for supporting the lov/er arm near the elbow and a sling for supporting the lower arm near the wrist when the user is seated on the cushion; a coil spring for each sling respectively; and means swingably attaching the springs to the extension in depending relationship thereto, the slings being attached to the springs at the lowermost ends of the latter, said cushion being separate from the seat for rendering the apparatus portable and thereby universally usable with many devices made to ait in or on, as a chair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 519,311 Andreul May 8, 1894 1,255,539 Kuderer Feb. 5, 1918 1,740,648 Emmert et al Dec. 24, 1929 1,810,651 Fischer June 16, 1931 2,028,979 Hintz Jan. 28, 1936 2,057,811 Armstrong Oct. 20, 1936 2,454,057 Grunwald Nov. 16, 1948 2,659,423 Haley Nov. 17, 1953 2,667,917 Dustin Feb. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 454,993 Italy Feb. 8, 1950 

